


Post-Graduation

by emmablowguns



Category: Re-Animator (1985)
Genre: Implied Sexual Content, Love Confessions, M/M, Sloppy Makeouts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-12 11:52:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7102108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmablowguns/pseuds/emmablowguns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Herbert and Dan have just graduated med school, but Dan's still got some things on his mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Post-Graduation

**Author's Note:**

> i didnt even edit this bc i just wanna be done with it and its going nowhere  
> also i havent really watched any of the other re animator movies so lets just pretend this fits in somewhere

Even after all the names had been called, speeches given, and diplomas received, Dan hadn't immediately looked for Herbert.

He had family to take pictures with and classmates to say goodbye to.

Many claimed they would stay in the area, but many more were off to wherever their medical degree would take them. Either way, this would probably be the last time they were all gathered in the same room like this and Dan wanted to take advantage of the jovial atmosphere.

After an appropriate amount of schmoozing, he’d spotted him leaning against a far wall, as alone and aloof as usual. Socializing had never been Herbert’s strong suit, and he doubted it ever would be.

Dan weaved his way through the crowd, eventually joining Herbert where he stood, almost slouched against the wall.

Looking down at his feet, he was the picture of apathy. 

“Dan.” Herbert greeted indifferently, nodding just slightly in his direction.

This was to be expected. It seemed no matter how close they became, Herbert always liked to employ a degree of distance. It kept him feeling in control, Dan thought. 

“Hi.” He replied warmly, unphased.

A familiar silence settled over them, during which the two alternated between looking at each other and looking down at their feet.

In the past, these long strings of silence would usually lead to hurried make out sessions followed by… Well, something much more, but now he wasn't so sure. Now, the silence left Dan feeling jittery, as he searched for any topic of conversation to bring up and stave off the awkwardness. 

“Are you glad to be graduating?” He finally asked, breaking the silence. It was the stock question he'd asked every other student, receiving a myriad of responses ranging from excited to indifferent. This time however, Dan actually cared about the response he’d get. 

“I suppose.” Herbert replied, still just as coldly. It was typical of him to be so difficult, especially in front of all these people. Dan couldn't help but smile at his stubborn willed friend.

“You seem disappointed.” He said, trying unsuccessfully at wiping the smile off his face. Dan knew this would set Herbert off. He had a passionate disdain for small talk, and his vitriol for it was only matched in his hatred for talking about his feelings.

“Honestly, if you've got something to say just  _ say it!”  _ The snappy remark was punctuated with Herbert’s signature eye roll, but Dan only offered a smile in return, waiting for him to pick up the game.

The scandalized look on Herbert’s face was victory enough as he realized he'd purposely been trying to aggravate him. They’d been playing this cat and mouse game for as long as Dan could remember, and during their various adventures, graduation had always seemed a distant milestone that would never be reached. Now, they were med school graduates, and the only thing that had stayed the same were the tricks they played on each other.

“You're still playing games with me, aren't you?”

“Always.” He replied daringly with a slight smirk. 

Herbert gave him an odd look then, and Dan’s heart raced with anticipation of what was about to happen. Or at least, what he  _ hoped  _ would happen. If they weren’t done playing, that is. 

“I expected better of you. You're a  _ college graduate. _ ” The teasing caused a faint flush to bloom across his cheeks and he knew he must be smiling like an idiot. Dan couldn't help it. It was miraculous how even after years of doing this Herbert still found ways to get under his skin.

“You know, I think there's a bathroom stall around here no one’s using.” The implication of his suggestion was clear, but Herbert wouldn't make it that easy. 

“Daniel!” He exclaimed, feigning shock. “I'm surprised at you.”

“Are you really?” Dan laughed, shaking his head. It would be impossible to get any time alone with him at this rate. The room was still abuzz with students, but clearing out slowly. Dan had heard talk of some after party, but that was far from his mind. All he was preoccupied with now was saying some kind of a goodbye to his friend in the only way he knew how. 

“No.” Herbert breathed, eyes cast downward, and Dan knew he'd won. 

“So, do you…?”

“No.” 

“No?” The surprise in Dan’s voice was obvious, but Herbert wordlessly took his hand, leading him through the crowd towards the backstage. How he knew where he was going was beyond Dan, but all questions left his mind as Herbert stopped in front of an out of the way storage room with the door slightly ajar. 

In only moments, the pair were pressed together in the cramped space, feeling for each other in the dark. Herbert wrapped his hands around Dan’s neck and pulled their mouths together in a chaste but reverent kiss. 

The obnoxious graduation cap fell from Dan’s head unceremoniously, Herbert’s had already been lost in the festivities. 

“Congrats, Grad.” He chuckled against his mouth, and the words seemed to vibrate between them.

They continued to kiss fervently, out of a mix of relief and fear. They had finally finished. Every exam, every late night spent studying followed by an 8 AM lab. Now all that was left was to apply, apply, apply. The task of getting a job wouldn't be too hard for Dan, who had enough local connections to secure a job if not at the very least recommendations, should he ever want to move somewhere new. 

Dan wondered, not for the first time, if this affair would continue much longer after graduation. 

“Stop it.” Herbert chastised, pulling back as much as he could in the small space. 

“Stop what?” Dan asked, Herbert's facial expression impossible to make out in the dark. 

“You're worrying again. I can tell.”

“No I'm not!” Though his voice gave him away immediately, and Herbert’s hands on Dan’s neck began lightly stroking. 

It was almost imperceptible, and he wondered if Herbert even knew he was doing it. 

“You'll find a job in no time. You've got connections, you're hardworking. Who wouldn’t-”

“It's not that.” Dan interrupted, which was only partially true. 

“Oh.” Herbert said, and it sounded genuinely surprised. “Then what is it?”

He sighed, and it seemed to wrack his entire body. Months of anxiety and repressed feelings bubbled up to the surface. Dan had wanted to have this conversation for awhile, but now that they actually were he felt tongue tied. 

“I've just been wondering if…” He paused, wondering how to word this in a way that wouldn't confuse things more. He cleared his throat and began again. 

“I've just been wondering if this will continue now that we've graduated.”

The ensuing silence was deafening, and Dan wondered if he'd made matters worse by bringing it up at all. His fears and self doubt seemed to crash down on him like a wave. Dan knew Herbert didn't like to talk like this, but he really couldn't stand to keep quiet anymore. 

“You're wondering something else though, aren't you?” Herbert said distantly, as if lost in thought.

“Well yeah, I guess I'm wondering if there's anything more to this than… You know.”

“You want to know if I…”

It seemed neither could say the words. For Dan, his hesitation was to be expected. However, he wasn't sure where the uncharacteristic cautiousness was coming from in Herbert, who was typically very blunt. Now it seemed he too was at a loss for words. 

“I…” Dan began, hoping to break the silence with some eloquent confession of his attraction to Herbert but coming up woefully short.

How was he suddenly supposed to conjure up words to describe a feeling he'd tried to deny for years?

They’d never even talked about what these stolen moments meant, rationalizing their behavior by refusing to talk about it. 

“I've never really been with…” Herbert began after another a tense pause, “Well anyone, before.”

The words sent a pang through Dan’s chest, still unsure if this was a confession or a rejection. 

“That's okay.” He replied, glad to hear he didn't sound as uncertain as he felt. 

“But I want to be.” Herbert said, boldness returning to him. He was starting to sound like his normal self, but Dan still wasn't grasping it. 

“Oh?” He said, sticking towards a neutral response until he could gauge Herbert’s meaning. It didn't help much that they were in a dark room, facial expressions unreadable.

“And I don't think I'll be very good at it,” Herbert continued, leaning his forehead against Dan’s, “But I'd… Like to try.”

“You mean… with me?” Dan's voice was barely above a whisper, excitement buzzing through every word. Even though they'd been hooking up for a year or so, he’d never imagined it would become anything more than that. Truthfully, Dan was waiting to wake up any minute now still in bed, pining after his college roommate. 

“Of course!” He snapped back, in typical Herbert fashion. The familiarity of the response only served to elevate Dan’s joy. He'd suspected the day might end this way, but he'd been unprepared for the breakthrough in communication.

Dan leaned closer, wrapping his hands around Herbert’s waist and ghosting his lips first over his neck, then finally making his way to his lips. The kiss was actually quite standard. In technicality, it was like any other they'd shared countless times before, but unlike those other kisses, this one was in the context of a new relationship. The excitement seemed to fill the air, fluttering between them both. 


End file.
